Financial Decision Making for the Public Sector

Financial Decision Making for the Public Sector will empower you to make efficient decisions that lead to financially sustainable, value-for-money outcomes by developing a thorough understanding of financial risk, reporting and governance.

The course combines discussions with practical exercises, giving you the opportunity to apply the techniques you learn in a real-life context. The material is presented in a concise manner and contextualised for the public sector.

Topics covered

  • Financial governance for decision making
    • Fit-for-purpose governance framework
  • Financial acumen for decision making
    • Signing off on general purpose financial reports
    • Budgeting to support accurate financial forecasting and management reporting
    • Understanding and applying financial ratios
  • Financial sustainability
    • Ratios and other analysis
  • Asset management concepts and principles
    • Government business case and procurement guidelines
    • Asset lifespan costing decisions
    • Service level decisions to drive asset management
  • Financial statements, decisions and asset management

Who should attend?

This course is designed for finance staff and decision makers who are responsible for financial risk management or the financial evaluation of projects.

No prior knowledge of the topics is assumed, however participants with previous experience in these fields may benefit from the course to refresh and extend their understanding.

Outcomes

Upon completion of the course, you will be able to:

  • Understand an efficient financial governance framework
  • Recognise the key drivers of financial risk management and financial sustainability
  • Build confidence in analysing financial information and financially sustainable decision-making
  • Use tools and techniques to measure, summarise, and assess financial performance, delivering value-for-money outcomes

Practical exercises

Participants will work individually and in small teams to analyse a public sector organisationā€™s financial performance. The exercises will give participants an opportunity to discuss and apply techniques in a practical context to inform sustainable financial decision making.

Delivery structure

This course is delivered in a format that provides multiple touchpoints and reflective activities to apply the learnings in your work context.

Note: Delivered on non-consecutive days. Refer to calendar for delivery dates.

  • Day 1: Full-day, in-person, UQ Brisbane City campus
  • Self-paced online learning activity (approximately 3-4 hours)
  • Day 2: 3-hour virtual session

Commitment to all sessions within this course is essential for an optimised learning experience.

Course facilitator

Lisa Barham

Senior Consultant

Lisa is a qualified Chartered Accountant with 20 years experience as a finance professional. Throughout her career Lisa has worked with ASX100 blue-chip companies, listed multinationals as well as consulting to private and social enterprises.

When facilitating workshops, Lisa combines her professional experience with her collaborative style to simplify complex information and improve the financial literacy of participants. Lisa works with UQ Business School executive education to deliver workshops provided under the joint public sector finance program with the Queensland Treasury Corporation.

While completing her Chartered Accountants Program Lisa won three national merit awards and was accepted to the Deanā€™s Honour role on completion of the UQ MBA.

Upcoming courses

Date Duration Location Cost Register now
4 March 1.5 days UQ Brisbane City $1125 (25% discount at checkout)

By registering for the course, you acknowledge the registration terms and conditions, including eligibility and cancellation policy.

If this time does not suit, subscribe to the newsletter for alerts on upcoming workshops. Alternatively, contact the QTC Education Program team on 1800 974 551 or email qtceducation@uq.edu.au to discuss your requirements.

"The hard-earned experiences of the public servant presenters offers the advantage of a learning experience tailored to the unique culture, challenges and practices of work within the public service."

Jared Johnson

A/ Senior Strategy & Risk Officer, Queensland Fire and Emergency Services